Dog Days Are Over
by SamBelle
Summary: A series of oneshots concerning the sweet moments and challenges of the Granger-Weasley family after the birth of baby Rose. Warning: will contain water slides on stairs, snowmen, ridiculous bedtime stories and much more. Sorry for deleting but it didn't want to update at all. Mass art post by me on tumblr 23/06/2018. Link on profile
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I've been working on a bunch of little ficlets that focus on Ron and Hermione after the baby comes. The first few will be posted chronologically, but that might change as I come up with more ideas, but most of the chapters will be one-shots anyway. Hermione's pregnancy mostly featured in the last few chapters of my Bookworm and the King, and in Wobbly Weasley Christmas, but you don't have to read that first. Thank you for reading and please review.**

 **PS. I do not own Harry Potter.**

It was early January, and Hermione was nearly seven months pregnant. It was just another Friday afternoon when she decided that the nursery NEEDED to be sorted out. Sure, most of the furniture, toys and clothes were already in the room, the clothes neatly folded into drawers and the toys packed away in organised containers, but it was far from _ready._

When Ron came home a few hours later, he found Hermione in the nursery, dragging the last toy crate into the centre of the room, where all the furniture now stood.

"Please tell me you used your wand to move the rest" he said weakly as she stood up.

She shrugged, but added: "I feel fine, Ron." This did little to calm him, seeing as she swayed a bit as she said this. He planted a kiss on her forehead as he held her steady.

"I take that it's time?" he asked with a smile.

"Of course not, I still have at least two months to go" she replied.

"I meant time to do the nursery. Mum warned me not to confuse it with the other infamous 'It's time', which usually comes out a lot more serious. So, is it time?"

"Maybe" she smiled.

"Tell you what, let your imagination go wild tonight and then just give me a list of what we need so I can go pick it up tomorrow" Ron said.

"Thanks, but you know you don't have to help. I can do it on my own"

"Nonsense. Of course I have to help, she's my daughter too. Plus, I can't have you doing all the heavy lifting"

"I have my wand, as you pointed out" Hermione grinned.

After dinner, Ron carried a chair from their room to the nursery. Hermione was staring at the wall next to the fireplace. "Is the wall good company?" Ron teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I was just thinking" she said.

"That much was obvious. So what do you have in mind for the place?" he asked, leading her over to the chair.

"You can change it if you don't like it, but I do have an idea"

"Of course you do" Ron grinned, earning him a glare.

Eventually she let out a laugh and started explaining. She wanted to paint the walls different shades of green, but they shouldn't be too busy. They could also add a few dragons if they wanted. They would have to varnish the floor, but otherwise it was fine. The bookcase and chest of drawers from her old room would have to be painted a darker brown to match the cot (which will be moved into the corner closest to the door, away from the window and fireplace), and she also wanted to get a chest with small containers for all the toys and a rocking chair. They would also need a cover for the top of the drawers, which would double as a changing table.

Hermione also suggested that they get a little rug for their daughter to play on, along with hanging a Hogwarts banner on the chimney and placing a few family pictures on the mantle. Then she proceeded to remind Ron to buy bins for the dirty nappies as well.

The next morning, Ron went to the shops with a very detailed list. He knew that Hermione wouldn't mind to go with him, but wanted her to have a lie in before the baby comes. Just before lunch, he dropped off the paint for the wall, saying that she can decide what goes where so long while he went to buy the rest of the stuff.

However, when he returned in the afternoon, he found that the walls have already been painted. He was really quite impressed with his wife's handiwork-not only had she painted the walls in the different shades, but they were painted to look like a forest. The forest was done very realistically, with shadows, broken branches and dragons. There were four beautiful dragons in total: a blue one, a yellow one, a red one and a purple one. They were painted to look friendly, but were still detailed.

Hermione was fast asleep in the chair, holding one of the books she had gotten at the baby shower a few weeks ago. Ron gently knelt down in front of her and started rubbing her shoulders to wake her up. He smiled when he saw that she had some paint on the side of her nose.

"Hey" he said softly. "The walls look amazing. I didn't know you could paint like that"

"I don't often have the time" she yawned.

Ron stood up and reached out his hand to help pull her upright. Slowly he guided her back to their bedroom. "You have paint on your nose by the way, did you know? Right there" he teased, rubbing it off with his thumb.

"Remind me why you didn't get more NEWTs. There's clearly nothing wrong with your memory" Hermione retorted.

"Because they didn't have anything to do with you" Ron grinned.

"You smooth bastard" she said as she lied down.

"Get some sleep. The lucky baby needs her rest" Ron said, pulling the covers up higher. "I'll go finish painting the furniture" Luckily, Hermione was asleep before she could argue.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Enjoy and please review**

Ron couldn't believe that Rosie, his baby girl, was almost seven months old. Since her birth, he has thanked his father-in-law several times for giving him a camera at the baby shower. He did his best to have nearly every moment on camera, much to his wife's dismay. Not that Hermione had much ground to stand on-she too got excited at every new thing their daughter did.

Rose could now stand (when holding on to something), roll over, play with toys, babble, eat certain mashed foods and sit up. Last week she had said her first word. Luckily the words wasn't 'Mummy' or 'Daddy' (otherwise the marriage might have been over. Actually, thankfully it wasn't a word referring to any member of the family), but 'music'. Both the parents gushed as they urged her to say the word over and over. Ron wasn't the least disappointed that it wasn't 'Chuddley Cannons' or Hermione that it wasn't 'Elvish Welfare'.

Tonight was rainy, as it tends to be in Britain. The family of three was in the living room, Ron having arrived mere minutes ago with the camera glued to his eye, earning him a glare from his wife.

Just seconds before that, Hermione had been playing the old piano to little Rose, who was sitting in her mother's lap. She was delighted to hear the happy tune and soon began slapping the keys as well. She squealed with laughter each time she hit a key hard enough to make a noise.

This continued for several minutes, with Hermione giggling as well, all until Daddy Dearest and his camera showed up. Rose took one look at the lense five inches from her face and turned to hide in mother's chest. This made Hermione's face go from full on marshmallow to a death glare.

"Ronald" she said sternly. "You will permanently scar our child if you keep appearing out of nowhere with that camera in her face. I won't be surprised if she starts calling you 'camera' or 'cyborg' instead of 'Daddy'"

This made Ron slowly lower the camera. He looked at her sheepishly, feeling the blush spread across his face. "Sorry" he said. "It was just so cute"

"I know" she sighed. "But we can't keep documenting every move she makes"

At this Rose nuzzled deeper into her Hermione's chest, making sucking noises with her mouth. She raised her little hand and placed over on her mother's mouth. Ron automatically raised the camera before lowering it again at his wife's warnful look.

"You are NOT filming me breastfeeding, is that clear?" she said seriously. Ron couldn't help but smile as he nodded. He felt like a schoolboy being told off.

"Can I at least help" he asked quietly, sitting down next to her on the bench. With a soft smile Hermione turned so that her back was facing him, letting him guide her so that she was leaning against his chest.

"You remember how to get her to latch on?" she asked as she slipped her shirt over her shoulder.

"I should. You've only shown me eight times in the past week" he smiled, moving to kiss her head. At the last moment she turned her head and kissed him full on the lips. There went another moment Ron wished he had on camera. Luckily he could always buy a pensieve.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Please review and thanks for reading**

It was time for bed for a certain auburn haired Weasley. Since Rose was nearly eight months old now, Hermione started making it a priority to have a nightly routine. Rose would have a dinner of mashed up vegetables, bath, listen to a bedtime story, feed one last time and then be put to bed. Although this routine isn't set in stone, the young parents do try to follow it best they can.

Rose was sitting on her mother's lap in the rocking chair, dressed in her purple zebra pyjamas. The evenings were getting colder, and Hermione finally got to play around with the warmer babygrows. Ron was sitting on the floor, staring up at his two girls like a smitten schoolboy.

Hermione opened the big book of Muggle fairy tales. They alternated between Muggle and magic bedtime stories so that Rose could learn about both worlds. Tonight they were reading Goldilocks and the three bears. Hermione made it all the way to the part where Goldilocks reaches the house and started to explore when her husband suddenly interrupted her.

"This is boring" he said. "Look, she's yawning"

Hermione simply rolled her eyes. "She's yawning because she's tired, Ronald" she said.

"Can there be dragons?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Why?"

"To make the story more interesting"

"Would you like to read?" his wife asked. Ron shook his head and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Fine" she said. "There can be A dragon. Emphasis on the singular"

"Why only one? We shouldn't limit her imagination" said Ron, rather indignantly.

Hermione sighed, trying to suppress a laugh. "Honestly Ron, she's 8 months old! I doubt she's upset about the fact that her bedtime story contains only one dragon"

Ron pouted at her, looking rather downtrodden. Hermione secretly wondered who she was reading to as she continued. "And in the corner, Goldilocks found A baby dragon" she said incredulously.

As the story continued, Ron kept adding more and more absurd elements, such as the donkegus, a flying donkey/pegasus. At some point Hermione started laughing so much she found it difficult to continue telling this ridiculous story to her sleepy daughter. Rose wasn't even sitting upright anymore, but was now leaning back against her mother. She let out a big yawn as the tale finally came to an end. Ron took the book and placed it back on the shelf.

"And they say that you're no fun" he said to his wife, grinning broadly at the story she just came up with using the concoction of ideas that he brewed up.

"Excuse me, may I ask who said that?" Hermione shot back with a smile.

"Umm" Ron said, looking at his shoes. Considering how silly his wife just was, he hoped that his answer would be acceptable. "Mostly me. Sometimes Harry?" he replied, watching as her eyebrows rose, indicating that her point has been made.

Her expression turned into a soft smile as Rose started nuzzling her breast as she moved to position herself for the feeding. She used her pinky to help her latch on, thankful that it now went much easier than it did in the beginning.

Rose sucked sleepily as her mother gently ran her fingertips across Rose's cheeks and nose, watching as her eyelids got heavier. Ron sat back down and lovingly started rubbing one of Hermione's feet.

"You don't have to do that every night, you know?" she said softly.

"I know, but I want to help. I can see that you're tired" Ron replied.

"Well, you're very sweet, and I hate to interrupt your fatherly duties, but she's already asleep"

With that, Ron got up and took his daughter, gently tucking her in in her cot. He stood there for a moment, watching her gentle breathing. He hugged his wife to him once she came close, and they both just stood there watching her for a while.

"You did good" he said, kissing her head.

"Always a tone of surprise" Hermione said with a smile. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when she added: "And by the way, WE did good"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you for reading and please review**

Today, Ron would be left alone (for more than an hour) with Rose for the first time since she was born. Hermione and Ginny had reluctantly agreed to go shopping with Fleur, which left their husbands in charge of the kids. On her way out, Hermione told Ron that she should be home in a few hours, and that Harry should be back soon with James and Albus.

When Hermione and Ginny came home three hours later, they did not find what they were expecting. Kreacher was on his knees, scrubbing the floor of the corridor. "Filthy Muggle-lovers, flying in the house, bubbles and paint…" he muttered under his breath.

Bubbles dripped from the ceiling. A thick streak of paint and soap lead up the stairs. The painting of Mrs Black was yelling out insults unfit for ears of any age. This was understandable though, seeing as she had a thick fake moustache drawn on her upper lip. Hermione stood frozen in the corridor. "What the bloody hell have they done?" she whispered.

Ginny pushed past her. "Harry Potter, get your arse down here this instant!" she yelled up. This was rewarded with the sound of Rose's tiny voice echoing back the word 'arse'.

"Hey, don't teach my daughter such filthy language" came Ron's voice from somewhere on the first floor.

"That's rich, considering Kreacher has a quite different opinion on the definition of filthy" Ginny retorted.

They could hear the sound of footsteps running down the stairs, followed by the sound of Harry yelling "Get out of the way" Ron came around the landing with such speed that he almost dropped Rose while tripping down the last few steps.

"Got her" he smiled at Hermione.

The next second Harry and his sons came sliding down on a tray. Both the children were laughing, but Harry froze when he saw his wife. "Gin" he said, trying to sound casual. "I thought you wouldn't be home for another hour" Ron couldn't even look at Hermione, but simply held Rose tightly while staring at his shoes.

There was an eerie silence for a second before Ginny exploded. "I thought you two were mature enough by now to be left alone to babysit three toddlers, but clearly I was wrong. I mean, what were you thinking? Bubbles on the staircase, flying in the house? I can't wait to hear what Hermione has to say about this" she screamed.

She turned around to look at her sister-in-law. Ironically enough, Hermione didn't appear to be angry. Instead, she was silently canning herself into her sleeve. Ginny cleared her throat loudly. Hermione looked up, trying to look serious, biting her bottom lip. Then suddenly she burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry" she said. "But this is ridiculous. We have fought Death Eaters, dragons and dark lords, yet this takes the icing on the cake for being the most ridiculous thing you two have ever done" Hermione's voice was starting to go higher with hysteria. "We were gone for three hours. We entrust you with two babies and a toddler, your own children, I might add, and your natural instinct is to make a coloured water slide down the stairs? There are so many hazards in one place that I don't even know where to start" she laughed incredulously.

The boys nervously laughed with her. Ron moved closer to go hug her, but she simply took Rose from his arms and continued. "Of course this doesn't mean that you're off the hook. You will tell Kreacher that you'll clean everything while Ginny and I try to clean the kids" she said as she started climbing the stairs.

On the landing she stopped and turned around. "Honestly you two, this was brilliant, but next time do it as a seventh year school prank and not as fathers setting an example for their children. Oh, and green paint in her hair Ron? She's a ginger, not a Slytherin"

 **A/N: I do not have anything against Slytherins, I just think Hermione would say the first thing she associates with green in that moment.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Enjoy and please review**

There was a coarse scraping sound as the runners on the sled sliced through the ice. Laughter erupted from the small, bundled up frames of the two Potter boys as they reached the bottom of the slope. "Again, again" exclaimed Albus.

"Not yet, it's Uncle Ron's turn now sweetheart" Ginny yelled down the slope. "Harry, keep them out of the way. I don't trust Ron's steering" she added with a grin. Her youngest brother stuck his tongue out at her before kneeling down in front of his daughter.

"Ready Rosie?" he asked her. She nodded, smiling excitedly. He helped her sit down on the front of their sled before moving to sit at the back.

"Ron, are you sure this is a good idea? I don't think there's enough space for all of us. Maybe I should just go down with Ginny" said Hermione from her spot sandwiched between her husband and child.

"Nonsense, Ginny, the twins and I always went down together as children" replied Ron.

"Yes, but you're not a child anymore now, are you?" _At least not physically_ , Hermione thought.

Ron rolled his eyes and used his heels to pull them forward and over the edge. "Hold on to Mummy" Hermione whispered in Rose's ear as they started sliding through snow.

*#*#*#*

It was a week before Christmas, and the Weasleys were once again gathering at the Burrow to celebrate. Rose was ten months old and saw snow for the first time this week. Hermione had a turn at being in charge of the camera as Ron carried Rose outside to show her the falling snowflakes. Her eyes lit up with wonder as she caught one on her blue gloved hand and watched it melt away.

After Ron convinced her that she could walk on the snow without slipping, Rose started running through the garden, making her curls fly behind her. Eventually father and daughter fell down on the white blanket and made snow angels, unintentionally posing for the perfect picture. Mr Granger then took over the camera so that his daughter could be part of the fun.

Bill, Fleur, Teddy and Victoire would be arriving tonight, thus completing the group. The other four children were getting agitated at being cooped up all day, so the twins suggested that they go sledding in the afternoon. Daniel, Hermione's eight year old adopted brother, was old enough to go down the slope himself, but the other three children still needed assistance from their parents.

The kids utterly enjoyed the feeling of the cold wind biting their cheeks as they sped through the snow, sometimes landing very ungracefully in a heap when the sled got stuck. Overall it was a good day to be outside with family.

*#*#*#*

The trees became a blur as the Granger-Weasleys dashed down the hill. Rose was smiling broadly as the approached the end of the slope. Ron lifted his arms and let out whoop as they went.

This was a big mistake, for the next second Hermione became aware of his absence. She looked around and saw a mop of red hair rolling down behind her. She dug her heels into the snow and brought the sled to a halt. She burst out laughing as a soaked, snow-covered Ronald dizzily stood up. "Daddy!" Rose yelled worriedly.

"Don't worry honey, Daddy's alright" Ron called to her.

"He just tried to turn himself into a giant snowman" his wife mocked.

He tried to look unimpressed by her comment, but couldn't as he was once again reminded of how lucky he was. He noticed how perfect his life looked in that moment. His wife's cheeks and nose were red from the cold. She was wearing jeans, boots and a purple drimac. Her hair and lashes had tiny snowflakes stuck in them. His daughter was a mini version of her, and his heart ached with fear for any pain that he might ever cause them.

A sharp pain then shot through his face as a snowball hit him in the face. "Earth to Ron" Hermione said with a touch of laughter in her voice.

"Maybe he hit his head. I told you not to trust his steering" Ginny teased as she approached.

"Nah, I don't think his head's the problem" said Fred.

"Look at him. He's absolutely smitten" added George.

"Better wipe the drool off" Harry grinned, handing his friend a handkerchief.

Ron's eyes slowly came back into focus as he blushed, feeling embarrassed about being caught staring. "Did you just throw me with a snowball?" he asked Hermione, cursing himself for having nothing better to say.

"Well, you were ignoring me" she answered matter-of-factly.

With one move, Ron scooped up a handful of snow and tackled her to the ground. She shrieked with laughter as he shoved it down her back, letting it melt against the warmth of her skin.

"You'll pay for this, Ronald" she yelled between giggles.

Fred and George didn't let Opportunity knock very long before answering with a full blown snowball fight. Albus, not very sure of what was going on, started randomly kicking and throwing snow, using the sled to help him stand. James and Rose both threw puny fistfuls at the sky, only to have it fall on them again.

Ron assigned himself as Hermione and Rose's human shield-taking the hits no matter how small. His siblings obviously took advantage of this fact, while Hermione shoved snow down her hero's clothes.

Once they were all soaked and shivering, the group made their way back towards the house. The sun was starting to set, colouring the sky in a beautiful spectrum of colours. Not wanting to miss the sunset, the parents wrapped their children in blankets and sat down on the picnic blanket Mr Weasley had brought out.

The back door creaked in the cold as Mrs Weasley came bustling through, carrying a tray of steaming mugs. "Hot cocoa to warm you lot up" she said, handing them out.

"Thanks Mum" they all chorused.

"Yeah yeah" she teased, sitting down next to Ron. This was going to be a great Christmas.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review**

For the second time in her life, Rose Granger-Weasley was completely covered in paint. Unlike the previous time, this came as no surprise to her mother though.

Hermione, the brightest witch of her age, had made the very stupid decision of leaving her husband, one Ronald Weasley, in charge of their one-year-old finger painting daughter while she cooked supper.

Apparently either father or daughter became tired of painting the paper and decided to use the other as a canvas instead. This resulted in war stripes being painted on the cheeks and several body parts being decorated with roughly painted animals and flowers. A laughing Hermione instructed her husband to clean up the mess (gesturing at his entire body) while she handles Rose.

In the bathroom Hermione was trying to convince an adamant Rose to take a bubble bath, insisting that Daddy wouldn't be mad if she washed off his paintings. Eventually they came to a compromise. Rose would take a bath if, and only if, Mummy got in with her. Having no choice but to accept this offer, Hermione got in the tub with her daughter.

To keep her daughter distracted, Hermione started asking Rose which body parts she was washing. This was repeated as Hermione rinsed the soap off, and Rose got so excited about all the praise for answering correctly that she splashed soapy water into her own face. As her mother leaned back to reach for a towel, Rose saw the scar Hermione had just beneath her belly button.

"Mummy has owwy" Rose said in a panicked voice. At first Hermione didn't understand, but then she realised that the scar appeared bright red in the presence of the warm water.

It's okay, Honey. Mummy's fine" she tried to assure her daughter. This didn't work, but only caused Rose to call out to her father with a quivering lip.

Ron came storming into the bathroom to find a stressed out Hermione desperately trying to calm a crying Rose. "What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling next to the tub.

"Mummy has owwy" Rose said seriously through the tears.

"I'm fine Ron" replied Hermione to his raised eyebrows.

"Rosie, calm down Honey. Where's the owwy?" Ron asked gently.

With a shaky, chubby finger, Rose pointed to the thin red line on Hermione's abdomen. "This one?" her father asked, softly touching the right area right above it. Rose nodded. "It's okay Rosie, Mummy's not hurt. That's an old owwy. It doesn't really hurt that much anymore" Ron explained calmly.

"Not owwy?" Rose asked with a frown.

"Not owwy" Ron repeated.

Rose turned to her mother. With a quick, soft smile, Hermione hugged her daughter and kissed her head. "I love you" she whispered with teary eyes.

#*#*#*#

After Rose was sound asleep in the nursery, Ron and Hermione lay cuddling in their bed. "Are you okay?" asked Ron.

"She's too innocent to have to deal with this. That tiny cut almost caused me to not be a mother at all" said Hermione sadly.

"Yet, despite the odds, you not only became a mother, but a great one at that."

They lied silently with Ron slowly stroking his wife's side and stomach, listening to her breathing.

"Do you want me to go fetch Rose so she can sleep with us?" he asked.

"Can you?"

"Of course. I think you both need the comfort" Ron said, getting up and fetching their daughter, tucking her in between them.

He watched as she sucked her dummy, noticing Hermione's eyes closing. Her hand was still loosely holding his, resting on Rose's back.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I will be posting at least two more chapters within the next week. Also, I will be posting quite a bit of my artwork (mostly Romione) on tumblr. The link is in my profile. Enjoy and please review**

It was the Easter holidays, and this year was one of the few years where Easter came before Hermione's birthday. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to take the week off and take little Rosie to the beach. They set up camp in a forest nearby and was surprised that the place wasn't more crowded. Then again, they had chosen a pretty secluded spot near Shell Cottage.

The family enjoyed having some alone time. Most days they slept in (something Ron had taught Hermione to do since Rose was born) and would go for a stroll on the beach after breakfast. Hermione would usually sit and read while Ron and Rose played in the sand and water. Occasionally she would join Ron in playing frisbee while Rose would wander around and collect shells or rocks for her sandcastles.

When they get tired they would go back to the camp for lunch and a nap. The adults would usually use this time to snog as well. Whoever said romance was dead after having a child clearly never met these two.

After 'napping', the family would play around (Ron was getting quite skilled at attending tea parties) or explore for a bit before starting supper. Then it was bath time, followed by story time and then it was time for Rosie to go to bed. Once their little princess was asleep, the proud parents would cuddle and talk until they fell asleep.

On this particular day, Ron and Hermione were helping Rose dig a hole to swim in after a very tiring ten minutes of chasing after the frisbee. When the hole was about midcalf and contained enough water to keep Rose satisfied, the digging finally stopped.

Rose looked rather chuffed and enjoyed splashing her daddy. Ron, technically still being a child himself, ensued a splash war with his one year old daughter. Hermione, unable to resist, started splashing Ron as well.

"Hey, it's only cute when she does it" he said, trying to sound indignant.

Hermione crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Are you saying I'm not cute, Ronald?" she asked.

Ron swallowed and started backpaddeling. "No that's not wh-"

"Because that's not what you said last night" Hermione said with a smirk.

Ron blushed and jumped up, grabbing his wife around the waist. He sprinted into the freezing water until they were almost behind the waves. Hermione shrieked and squirmed, trying to get away from the tickling.

"Ronald Weasley, put me down this instant!" she exclaimed over the sounds of the crashing waves.

"Oh, just look at Rosie giggling" Ron said as innocently as he could.

"Don't change the subject" an exasperated Hermione muttered.

*#*#*#*

After finally escaping the cold water and avoiding Ron for a full ten minutes, Hermione dared to go near him again to help build Rose another sandcastle. When she looked up, she spotted a pod of dolphins swimming by.

"Look Rose, the dolphins came to say hello" she told her daughter, picking her up and pointing at the animals.

Ron, still being very much in love with his wife and daughter (and still having a very powerful crush on his wife), really couldn't help but notice that they were both getting beautiful tans from their time spent in the sun. They both also sported a few more freckles on they faces and shoulders. He, on the other hand, had to be covered in sunscreen from head to toe. He had more freckles to show for hours outside, but still remained pale.

Watching them stare at the dolphins, Ron only felt himself fall more deeply in love with his two girls. He leaned over and kissed Hermione while Rose was still distracted by the dolphins.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Please check out my art posts on 23 June 2018 on tumblr (link on profile). Thanks for reading and please review.**

It was the last day of their Easter holiday. Hermione's 22nd birthday was in two days and they were heading back tomorrow so that she could spend it with the family.

The Granger-Weasleys had just woken up from their afternoon nap and decided to take a proper tour of the forest before they go. It was rather dark beneath the tree canopy, and the sun was already starting to sink.

Rose looked adorable in her little boots and light blue jumper. The humidity made her ginger curls extra frizzy. She was jumping up and down with excitement, impatiently waiting for her parents to catch up.

"Slow down Rosie, we're coming" Ron called after her.

"And be quiet" Hermione added.

"Why quiet?" Ron and Rose both asked. Hermione hunched down in front of Rose.

"We have to be very quiet, otherwise we won't see the fairies" she explained.

"Fairies?" Rose asked.

"Oh yes" Ron replied. "If we're quiet enough we might see a few fairies dancing or sleeping"

They continued silently down the path, stopping to lift rocks and leaves in search of the mystical creatures.

"Good thinking with the fairies" Ron whispered to his wife.

"I wasn't making that up, Ron. There are actually woodland fairies living in the forests around this area" she said, picking up another large leaf.

"Of course there are" Ron muttered.

"Honestly, don't you read?" Hermione asked with smile. Ron stuck his tongue out at her.

"You know I don't. Anything else I need to know about the forest?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. This area is known for its beautiful autumn leaves. The reason for that- Rose, don't go too far- is because the fairies paint each individual leaf after it starts changing colour. This makes the colours more vibrant and if you look carefully, you can see a unique pattern on each one" Hermione replied.

"Show off"

"You asked"

"I know. And I love you even more for knowing all that " said Ron, kissing her temple.

" The mushrooms are also bigger here because the fairies live in them"

"You're kidding. That's where the myth comes from?"

"It's not a myth if it's true, Ron"

Ron was just about to retort when Rose came running up to them. "Mummy, look" she whispered, holding out her hands. Hermione kneeled down and saw a tiny butterfly sitting in her daughter's chubby little hands. "It hurt" Rose explained.

Ron hunched down as well. "Is it? How can she tell?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes and placed her hands around her daughter's. "Poor thing. It's wing is torn" she said.

"Mummy fix?" Rose asked. Hermione took out her wand and recited an incantation. Seconds later the butterfly flew away. Hermione smiled as Rose's eyes filled with wonder. "Wow" she gasped before turning to go look for fairies again.

"Why did she ask you to help and not me?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"Probably because she knows I actually paid attention in class?" Hermione teased.

*#*#*#*

Talk about the fairies continued straight through supper. Once they were done eating, Hermione took the plates inside and returned with marshmallows, chocolate and digestive biscuits. "It's about time I teach you two about s'mores" she said, noting Ron's questioning look.

Rose giggled with glee after taking her first bite, but Ron nearly swallowed his whole. "That was delicious" he grinned. "Wow. that's one thing the Muggles got right" He paused. "Well, two things" he added, looking at Hermione.

She smiled back, then leaned in closer. "You've got chocolate on your nose by the way, did you know? Right there" she said, kissing his nose.

"Daddy messy" Rose piped as they kissed. Ron pulled away.

"Okay, it's bedtime now" he said, picking his daughter up. Hermione couldn't stop the grin from spreading over her face.

*#*#*#*

Ron and Hermione sat next to the fire. Rose was asleep and they had just shared the passionate kiss they had missed out on earlier. Hermione was now wearing Ron's maroon jumper over her purple one. Her frizzy curls framed her face, and for the upteenth time in his life, Ron caught himself staring. The glowing embers were reflecting in her eyes as she watched the sparks rise into the air. Then she turned her head and blushed.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Nah, just thinking how lucky I am"

"I'm the lucky one. I have an amazing husband"

Ron reached out and pulled her into his lap, hugging her tightly. He kissed her head, smelling her shampoo under the scent of sunscreen and smoke.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Surprisingly nothing. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet. There were times when we sat next to fires like this with silence, but no peace or hope"

"Do you still feel like you did in the Forest of Dean? Like you just want to stay here and grow old?" asked Ron.

"No. Sometimes I think it would be nice, but I already have everything I need when you and Rose are with me. Plus, peace and quiet has never really been our style. We'll only scare the wildlife with our bickering"

She felt Ron laugh before snuggling deeper into him. They sat like that for a while longer before Ron felt her breathing getting slower and deeper.


End file.
